[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah] Naver (#NAVER) is introducing a certification system to verify the expertise of its official advertising partners as it expands its AI-based advertising offerings.

As competition in the advertising platform sector shifts toward AI, building an ecosystem of experts capable of effectively utilizing these products—in addition to the competitiveness of the products themselves—is emerging as a new competitive factor. Observers note that through this certification system, Naver has taken a significant step toward creating an AI advertising ecosystem that connects the platform, partners, and advertisers.

On the 17th, Naver announced the launch of the “Advertising Expert Certification Program” for representatives from its official advertising partners. Naver will grant official expert status to representatives who pass the certification exam.

An online certification exam called “NAVER Ads Expert” will be administered. Any advertising manager affiliated with an official Naver partner company can take the exam, which assesses their understanding of Naver’s advertising products and their operational capabilities. Those who pass the exam will be certified by Naver as official advertising experts.

This initiative is seen not merely as an educational program but as the establishment of a “Naver-style advertising expert certification system.” While Naver has previously provided online lectures and webinars to its official partners, this marks the first time it has established an official certification system to objectively verify advertising management capabilities.

In particular, analysts view the introduction of this system as a strategic move to prepare for the era of AI advertising. Recently, as generative AI and automation technologies have been integrated into the advertising market, the entire process—from ad planning and creative production to targeting and performance analysis—is rapidly shifting toward AI-based solutions.

Naver is also accelerating the advancement of its advertising platform, centered on “ADVoost,” its AI-based advertising solution. Consequently, partners are now required to possess expertise that goes beyond their existing advertising execution experience to understand and utilize AI advertising products.

The certification exam itself will also be gradually expanded to assess AI advertising capabilities. This month, the Search Ads (SA) and Display Ads (DA) subjects will be introduced first, and ADVoost-related certification subjects are scheduled to be added in the second half of the year.

Each exam consists of 40 questions, and a score of 80 or higher is required to pass. Successful candidates will be issued an official certificate valid for one year.

Naver anticipates that expanding the pool of certified professionals will create a virtuous cycle leading to improved results for advertisers. The company explains that advertisers will be able to manage their campaigns through verified experts, while partner companies can secure a competitive edge through objective competency certification.

Han Jae-young, Naver’s Advertising Sales Leader, stated, “We have established this certification program so that official partners can quantitatively verify their practical advertising management capabilities and optimize advertiser performance based on these results,” adding, “We plan to continue supporting the growth of our partners’ capabilities alongside the advancement of our advertising products.”

Naver’s latest initiative aligns with the strategies of global platform operators to cultivate advertising experts. Google operates specialized certifications in areas such as search, display, video, and shopping ads through its “Google Ads Certification” program to verify the capabilities of advertising agencies and marketers. Meta also certifies capabilities in Facebook and Instagram ad planning, management, and data analysis through its “Meta Blueprint Certification.”